Rock Island daily Argus., 1887-03-17
MEXICAN SENORITAS.
THEIR EDUCATION AND WHAT THEY
ARE EXPECTED TO KNOW.

"MarIiageable" at the Age of Fifteen.
Instruction of Girls at Home-Priyate
Schools and Seminaries-A Glass Below
the Patrician Stratum.
The scholastic course of a Mexican girl Of
aristocratic family is finished before she is
Is, at which age she is considered marriage
able" The wife of Gen. Santa Ana was
welded to that willy ruler, whom Americans
remember as '.the butcher of the Alamo"
when only l3, and numerous brides in these
later davs are scarcely older. 1t must be re-
membered however, that girls mature early
III the tropics, and in corresponding ratio
grow Old mu,h sooner than in the colder
north. Though Mexico abounds in single
women of mature age, one never hears OF "an
Old maid" for TO remain forever unmarried
entails TO such stigma here as attaches to un-
married females of other lands. Ii her lonely
condition is alluded TO BY these polite people
they speak of her with some kindly phrase,
indicating that la poDraeita THE poor, dear
thing has been hard to please"
The custom Of engaging aecomplishe for
eign goveinesses or native tutors to instruct
young girls at home is gaining ground among
wealthy families in Mexico, because to send
budding senorita over 10 years of age TO
day school-even in the family carriage, ac-
companied by a maid who never loses sight
of her till she is safely returned to the pa
teTnal casa-is looked upon as an alarming
stretch Of the proprieties. In the days OF
convenrual Institutions the daughters of well
to do parents were universally placed in
charge Of the gentle sisterhood, generally en-
tering the convent schools at an early age
and remaining until old enough to marry.
Since the haniahment of nurs and monks
from Mexico great many private schools
and seininaries have been established, where
III girls are duly finished" according to
Mexican ideas. The acme of their accom-
plishments is to become good linguists and
excellent musicians and to acquire smatter-
ing of history and general literature, placing
them about on a par with the corresponding
class in France and Spain But they are
never cultured to the Bostonian point in the
classics or occult sciences, their simple ac-
quirements being such shine to best
advantage in the home circle.
Mexican ladies of high degree are never
educated with view to utilizing their &C
complishments for gaining livelihood in
any possible reverse of fortune, for under no
circumstances are they expected to assist in
their own support. The old Spanish custom
which obliges gentlemen to provide for all
their destitute female relatives and to shield
them absolutely from contact with the world
still prevails among the upper classes not
withstanding the fact that nearly century
OF foreign wars and internal revolutions has
made it a difficult task in many instances and
forever debarred from mstrimony the scions
of proud but impoverished houses
As a rule, pater familias does not encourage
much reading of books-except of religious
character-among the female members of his
| flock, and certainly not the general run of
newspapers such as are found in every north
srn family. He believes not only that "a lit
! tie knowledge is a dangerous thing" and
| might lead to that pernicious strong mind
| edness" which he imagines affiicts most ladies
in the United States, but that literally 'ignor-
ance is bliss in their appointed sphere. II
| not married at once when escaped from school
| restraints, sometimes the mother or some el-
derby female relative undertakes to instruct
| the daughter in those domestic duties which
iildti WHttHtT TlC1 OF
| poor on the day of her marriage she will 70
| TO home of her own, which the expectapt
| bridegroom must previously prepare To
that end she is taught to prepare delicacies
| for the sick and refreshing medicinal drinks
| TO make dulcies. iellies and dainty desserts
| and occasionally, by way of practice, is given
| for a season the entire management of her
| fathers household. have heard of cases
| where she has even ordered all the provisions
| paid the servants, provided rations for the
| carriage horses, and looked over the coach
| mans bills for shoeing, etc.-in short, kept a
| thorough account of all domestic expend.
| iUures; hut these instances are extremely
| rare.
| Another class of women grade or two
below the patrician stratum in the socia
structure, are numerous in Mexico. and
| greatly to be pitied. For several years past
the Mexican government has been making
praiseworthy efforts to ameliorate the denst
| ignorance of this class by increasing ths
number OF public schools and offering educa
ton free to all. One more step is needed
however, and that is to render it compulsory
and to hanish the needle and embroidery
frame from the school house Hitherto tn,
| greater portion of the school hours of thes,
| girls has been devoted to the questionable &C
complishments of embroidery, lace work anc
the manufacture of artificial fiowers-th,
latter industry being doubly farce in thi
land Of flowers In many of these schools III.
teachers exhibit with pride specimens Of fines
stitching and most elaborate embroidery, lac,
and drawn work of marvellous intricacy anC
canvas work that equals the famous GobelIl
tapestry. Angels, scriptural incidents, etc
are wrought with silk upon fine linen, reduir
ing infinite pains and a vast expenditure 0
| precious eyesight. and often a years time i
devoted hy some poor girl, who can scarcel1
read and write, to an amazing creation il
canvas and coiored wools-perhaps her patrol
saint, represented with purple hair and yellow
legs: or landscape with green dog in tn
foreground, resting his nose upon the peaks o
crimson mountains and his tail III the branche
Of blue tree, which masterpiece is framet
and hung in the parlor by her delighte,
mother, who points to it with bride eve
afterward as the crowning proof of he
daughters education.
When these slaves of the needle emerc
| from school. naturally, their minds ar
dwarfed. as their eyes and spnes are weak
ened, and they are ignorant and superstition
to degree They take no interest in books
seldom understand even the geographical po
sition of their own country, and to them th
whole world beyond Is a total blank. BEN,
thus pitiably without resources, their futur,
depends entirely upon marriage-and hap
pening 20 miss that they are nonentities in
deed. At the age of 40 they are broker
down and decrepit old women. without trac
of the dark beauty that we so much admin
III their early youth. th.-Corrspondence Phila
delphia Record